I'm not counting this homerun or his 3 RBI from today's game because of the game situation. I'm not counting his pinch hit solo homerun in a blowout win in Colorado. In my book, Crede has 2 less home runs than his statistics show, 4 less RBI, and one less walk (the one where he pinch hit for Uribe after coming in with a 3-0 count and taking one pitch).

Is there any sort of analysis out there about how much money Tanaka would bring in for a team?

Is there anyone, not just free agents, that would bring more attention to the team?

There would be major coverage at the signing and for sure spring training. The rest of the coverage will be dependent on how he does. Im sure he would produce some advance sales but thats tough considering he will pitch every 5th day. I hope the chairman is thinking Fidrych right now as his hand is in his pocket thumbing his roll of bills.

Please. Similar age, similar mph on the fastball (each can "touch" 96), both throw a "plus" splitter and both throw a slider. Both had exceptional stats from Japan.

All you'd have to do is actually watch them pitch to see they're incredibly different. Matsuzaka didn't throw a single pitch as well as Tanaka's third best offering.

Roger Clemens and Curt Shilling both threw some of the same pitches. No one would ever deign to compare the two. At least that would make sense. This comparison is more like comparing Brett Tomko to Randy Johnson. They're both American!

That article even mentioned Matsuzaka was a poor comparison. It's like the original poster didn't even read the article and simply threw it there to attack Tanaka.

All you'd have to do is actually watch them pitch to see they're incredibly different. Matsuzaka didn't throw a single pitch as well as Tanaka's third best offering.

Roger Clemens and Curt Shilling both threw some of the same pitches. No one would ever deign to compare the two. At least that would make sense. This comparison is more like comparing Brett Tomko to Randy Johnson. They're both American!

That article even mentioned Matsuzaka was a poor comparison. It's like the original poster didn't even read the article and simply threw it there to attack Tanaka.

Matsuzaka was 18-3 in 2008 with 150 K and a 2.90 ERA in the AL East. Tanaka should feel blessed to be compared to him. It's not unfair or uncommon to compare guys who played the same position in the same league facing similar hype. It helps temper unrealistic expectations that a guy with amazing stats in a different league is going to do the same in the MLB (Fukudome, Kaz, Irabu, Igawa).

I would actually prefer a move like Dice-K or Santana for the Sox. They have the ability to take a chance on guys like that, who could bounce back with the team in a season that doesn't have high expectations.

Tanaka is going to cost $20 million a year most likely. I'd be all for it, because I think Tanaka is going to be a Cy Young contender for the next half decade. But that kind of move, sadly, doesn't fit with the way we operate.